Kaapa

Review: Prithviraj starrer Kaapa takes us through crime ridden Thiruvananthapuram in an unapologetic if slightly gory journey. This is not a mass entertainer, rather an attempt at a gangster movie that wishes to stay high up in the genre. More or less, Shaji Kailas has succeeded in delivering a satisfying gangster movie depicting the endless cycle of crime and revenge. While it gives a refreshing experience with Thiruvananthapuram as its location, their rendition of the slang falls through.

The film begins with a techie, Anand learning that his wife Binu Trivikraman's name ended up in Kaapa list by mistake. The name is used by her brother's former gang and that's how she ended up in the list. The narrative moves through Anand's journey to keep his wife safe. He meets Kotta Madhu, the rival gang leader. He has his eyes set on a seat for Thiruvananthapuram city corporation elections. However, his past haunts him despite attempts to stay out of the crime scene at least for the duration of the election.

Kotta Madhu is not in any sense a hero. He is ruthless, cunning at times and merciless in many ways. However, Kailas and writer G R Indu Gopan whose story Shamghumughi is the source of the script did attempt to show his softer side where he is just a man of his family- wife and son, grieving his past errors, but only selectively. The opposing gang is aided by a local journalist Latheef. The conflict between the gangs forms the crux of the movie.

Prithviraj portrays the local gangster Kotta Madhu with class. Another stand out performance is from Asif Ali who portrays Anand, the steadfast, but a little naive man. Jagadeesh as Jabbar will be a role to remember. Dileesh Pothan as Latheef was spot on. Aparna Balamurali also delivered a good performance with the limited screen time as Kotta Madhu's partner Prameela. Anna Ben, however didn't have much to do in the movie and a different casting decision would have been better for her role as Binu Trivikraman.

The general theme could be surmised as ' As you sow, So shall you reap.' The film fails in the 'suspense' front with a lot of foreshadowing. By the first half itself, a viewer will be able to understand who is behind the conspiracy underway. In fact, even Kotta Madhu's downfall can be guessed easily. The extras and some of the supporting cast were not chosen well. However, the film gets plus points for the action scenes and the music. Dawn Vincent's music adds spice to the movie.
- Gopika IS